Deadliest Enemy summary

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: having to watch helplessly as your child dies slowly. In the early 1980s, this was the horrific reality facing dozens of families. All across the United States, teenage girls were succumbing to Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS. Even worse, no one knew why.

Was an exotic new disease sweeping the country? No, in this case, the cause was much more mundane. In fact, the root cause was being sold in local drug stores and pharmacies. 

How do you imagine human civilization ending? Will doomsday come from a big, catastrophic nuclear war? Or will a stray meteor strike the Earth and send humanity packing like the dinosaurs?

While these dramatic events are certainly deadly, they’re also pretty unlikely. Statistically speaking, our modern world won’t end with bang, but with a sneeze.  

1918 was a bad year. All across the globe, people were dying at an unprecedented rate. It didn’t matter if you were young or old, a man or a woman, your life was in danger. No, this tragedy was not the outcome of World War One. The cause of this widespread death was the flu.

The 1918 flu was the worst in modern history. By the end of the epidemic, an estimated 100 million people died of the disease. It is a horrifying statistic. The frightening truth is that an even more devastating wave of illness could be just around the corner.  

Imagine a strain of flu so deadly that nearly 70% of cases result in death. Pretty terrifying, right? Well, if you’re a bird, it already exists. It’s called H5N1 influenza. And, in 2011, scientists created a version of this virus that could easily infect ferrets. 

Of course, these researchers were trying to find ways to prevent H5N1 from ever becoming transmissible between humans. However, many scientists are increasingly wary of this type of research, since it could easily fall into the wrong hands.

It’s finally spring and a young boy is playing near a hollow tree in southeastern Guinea. Above him, bats nest in the branches. A few months later, Ebola, a rare and fatal virus, is burning its way through local communities. Within months, more than 10,000 people die from hemorrhagic fever.

This is the story of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. It is the most extensive outbreak since the disease was first discovered in 1976. And, as bad as this crisis was, it could have been much, much worse.

A faint buzz, a light pinch, and, a few hours later, a red, itchy bump. For many people in the northern hemisphere mosquito bites are mere seasonal annoyance. At worst, these airborne pests are just a mildly irritating part of a backyard barbeque. 

However, for the vast number of people in warmer climates, a mosquito bite can be the harbinger of serious illness and even death. As the climate continues to warm, the threat posed by these blood-sucking pests will only grow. 

Let’s say you’re not feeling well. You’ve got a sore throat, a fever, and maybe a bit of a headache, too. It’s probably just a mild case of strep. Just take a couple doses of antibiotics and you’ll be back on your feet. No problem.

But what if you took the usual pills and you didn’t get any better? What if the medicine wasn’t strong enough and you just got worse? In the near future, this could be a common scenario.

Here is a hypothetical situation. You turn on the TV one day to find a breaking news alert: a new strain of flu has been identified in China. According to doctors, it kills 30 to 40% of patients who catch it. Hospitals are overrun with victims. Cases have already appeared on three continents. The World Health Organization is declaring a global emergency.

Sounds like the plot of a disaster movie, doesn’t it? Sadly, this fiction could easily become a reality.     

Killer strains of influenza. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Bioterrorism. At this point, it may seem like there is a devastating cataclysm looming just around the corner. With all these threats, it’s easy to feel hopeless or cynical about humanity’s future.

But don’t despair just yet. While infectious diseases will never be eradicated, the world can take steps to mitigate the chances of a worst-case scenario.